5 Tips for Lawyers to Use LinkedIn Effectively On The Go

We have been delivering numerous LinkedIn training seminars for our clients and connections this year (from partners in law firms to directors in large commercial banks), and with the news that LinkedIn has just implemented a major revamp on its mobile platforms, we thought this would be a great time to share with you five top tips for lawyers to use LinkedIn effectively on the go.

5 Tips on Mobile Use of LinkedIn for Lawyers

1. Make sure your profile is optimised.

For every impression you generate and for every time you engage with someone when you use LinkedIn, one of the most common things people will do is look at your profile. And if you’ve set up your profile well, you may succeed in getting people to either carry out a desired action (e.g. call you or email you) or, for instance, to remember you next week when they are looking to refer you on to someone else. Complete your profile in a way that is aimed at potential clients, NOT like a CV. Writing in the first person, using relevant keywords for your services and including calls to action such as ‘Email me’ or ‘Call me’ are a few of the things you should be thinking about.

2. Download the app for your mobile device.

Whether you have an iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, iPad or any other mobile device, make sure you download the LinkedIn app, sign in to your account and ensure that notifications can reach you.

3. Post updates on the go.

Whether you’ve just won a case for your client, completed a deal or finished a series of meetings, it can be useful to update your network on the types of activity you’re currently involved in (while respecting confidentiality and other obligations). Or if you see a useful news story or if your team has published an interesting blog post it can be appropriate to share that to your network also. And not only can you share to your main feed; you could also share to relevant Groups (provided you have joined them!)

4. Engage with your connections.

Regularly liking, sharing or commenting on updates of your (growing number of) connections can be particularly useful – LinkedIn is, after all, a social network. Thought leader in this area for lawyers, Kevin O’Keefe expressed one of the main benefits from doing this in a recent post “Everyone likes some comment love or an atta-girl or atta-boy that a like represents.” (Indeed, after we had written this Kevin published a new post sharing his thoughts on why the new LinkedIn upgrade is a big win for lawyers).

5. Keep it going!

All too often we see lawyers join social networks such as LinkedIn who are then satisfied to leave their profile sitting without any updates, connections or any signs of life. If you feel like using your LinkedIn account to network professionally is taking up too much of your time, think about the times when you will get most benefit from LinkedIn: generally mid-week from Tuesday to Thursday or at the weekends is best; in mornings before 9am, lunch or early evening after 5pm are some of the best times to engage with your network with other professionals are most likely to be using it too.

Please do share these tips throughout your own networks on LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, by email and elsewhere.

LinkedIn training for lawyers and law firms in the UK

If you’d like to discuss LinkedIn training in much more detail for your own legal practice, please contact us here or to continue the discussion please join our LinkedIn group.

About the author

I have many years' experience in corporate communications environments both in the UK and abroad and joined Moore Legal Technology as a Director in 2013 following specialist in-house law firm marketing and business development roles manager roles.